


when in rome

by cashtonasfuck



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Art History, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Roma | Rome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:00:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25810231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cashtonasfuck/pseuds/cashtonasfuck
Summary: photographer!ashton takes a photo of reader at an art gallery in rome
Relationships: Ashton Irwin & Reader
Kudos: 2





	when in rome

**Author's Note:**

> this is highly self-centered and the context may make no sense to anyone else but i'm posting anyway.

You first came to Rome in your second year of university. You had a gap in your timetable to fill, so decided to take ‘Introduction to Art History’. That was the first time you saw it. The statue you became so enamoured with that you had to see it for yourself. You’d flown to Rome with a family member and spent a few days visiting various galleries and tourist attractions, before finally, _finally_ , standing in the room with the object of your fascination. It was even more breathtaking in person. No photograph could ever do justice to the exquisite beauty of the object before you. If you were being truthful, standing in the room in front of it was moving. The emotions conveyed in the marble were astonishing. You revisited that room three more times before you left the gallery, each time still filling you with the same sense of wonder as when you first laid eyes on the statue. When people tried to get you to explain just _what_ it was about that statue that moved you so much, you found it hard to convey the depth of the emotions you felt. It wasn’t long until you decided to commemorate both the trip and the statue by getting it inked on your skin.

Two years later and you were back in Rome. This time around it was a solo trip - your friends had bailed on you days before and for a while you were unsure as to whether to fly by yourself. The need to see the statue again made your mind up for you. You’d visited The Vatican the day previously, Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel swimming in your mind as you waited for the queue to move forward. When you finally made your way through the entry hall and past the statue of Pauline Bonaparte your body hummed in anticipation. One more room and then you’d be in its presence again. Over the soft music in your headphones you were vaguely aware of a tour guide with a group of British tourists explaining some of the finer details of the ceiling frescoes in this room. You were half listening, tutting internally as they failed to mention some of the more important facts about the artwork. Pushing on through the second room you weaved your way through the people until you finally stood in the room you’d come back here for. 

It was just as stunning as you remembered. The craftsmanship and skill required to execute something this beautiful still took your breath away. You slowly walked around the statue, eyes roaming over the detail and trying to commit it all to your memory - you weren’t sure when you’d next be back. You finally stopped circling and stood gazing up at the faces of the two figures that have enamoured you for so long. Even seeing it for a second time didn’t diminish its appeal to you. You knew it was largely due to the sculptor and his work - his entire catalogue appealed to you - but there was something about this particular piece that stood apart from the rest. As you were losing yourself in your musings you felt a soft tap on your shoulder. Your gaze landed on the most adorable man you had ever seen in your life. His hair was a mess of brown curls, his hazel eyes watching you cautiously. He pushed his glasses up his nose nervously as you slipped your headphones out of your ears and smiled at him.

“Hi, can I help you with something?” 

The man swallowed slightly before speaking.

“I realise that this is going to sound really creepy,” he winced at his own words as he spoke before gesturing to the camera that hung around his neck, “but I’m a photographer and I saw you looking at the statue and then noticed your tattoo and you were stood in exactly the right position to match it and…”

His words trailed off as he watched your eyes grow wide as his admission and panic flitted across his features.

“I can delete it if you want me to! I know I should have asked you first but it was a perfect shot and I couldn’t resist. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

The man’s demeanour shifted before your eyes and he went from nervous to deflated, hazel eyes full of concern.

“Can I see it?” A small smile graced your features as the man fumbled with his camera for a few seconds before turning the small screen to face you. You could feel him watching you intently, searching your features for any sign of discomfort.

“You’re right - it is a perfect shot.” You admitted, smiling brightly at your newest acquaintance, “you don’t have to delete it, and I’m not upset - can you please send it to me?” 

The man’s eyes were wide as you spoke, a grin spreading across his features as you asked him to send it to you. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small notebook and pen before handing it to you. 

“Just write your email address in there somewhere and I’ll send it to you when I next get wifi. Thank you for not being mad at me, I know that could have gone either way.” 

You laughed quietly at his words as you wrote your email address down on the next free page in the stranger’s notebook.

“It’s not every day that a random stranger taps me on the shoulder to tell me that they’ve taken my photo - i’ll give you that.” You both laughed at your admission as you handed the notebook back to him. Your fingers brushed lightly during the exchange and your eyes met his. You felt a blush creep up the back of your neck and hastily turned your attention back to the statue at the center of the room. 

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” 

The stranger hummed at your words, and out of your peripheral vision you could see that he’d raised the camera to his face and was snapping away as he spoke. 

“It is, but I’ll admit that I don’t know much about it.” 

_Excellent._

“Well you’re in luck, my friend - I happen to be an exceptional know-it-all where this statue is concerned.” A smirk graced your features as you spoke, the stranger raising an eyebrow at your words, “but first - I’m (y/n), it’s nice to meet you.”

You stuck your hand out for the stranger to shake, which he did.

“I’m Ashton - the feeling is mutual. So, tell me - what _exactly_ am I looking at?” 

You launched yourself into the story behind the statue, as well as its creator and its history, pulling Ashton around to look at the different aspects of it as you spoke. He listened carefully to your words, snapping a photo every now and then as you showed him something he hadn’t noticed previously. 

“...And that is why Bernini will forever be one of the superior sculptors of his period. He was 24 when he started this. I’m just barely 24 - can you imagine being this good at anything at 24?” 

Ashton laughed at your words, a noise that was echoed by a few of the other people around you. You glanced at them sheepishly, heat spreading across your face in embarrassment.

“Got a bit carried away there, sorry.” 

Ashton glanced at you before he spoke.

“Never apologise for being passionate about something - it was wonderful to listen to you speak so animatedly about it.”

You opened your mouth to reply, but were cut off by a man standing near you.

“The boy is right,” the man’s accent came through as he spoke, “I did not understand all of what you said, but it is clear that you have a passion. Thank you for sharing with us.” 

You smiled shyly at the man, and a few other people nodded in agreement before turning their attention to the other works in the room.

“See, I told you.” You stuck your tongue out at Ashton’s words, drawing a chuckle from the man before he continued, “What else do you know about, will you tell me about those too?”

You could feel the excitement radiating off Ashton as he spoke. 

“Honestly?” Ashton nodded in answer to your question, “Almost everything else in this gallery.” 

He looked at you in awe before composing himself and pushing his glasses back up his nose. 

“Lead the way then, doll - I have a spare SD card, and all day.”

You flushed at his endearment, holding your hand out to him. He looked down at it before his hazel eyes flitted back up to meet your gaze. You smiled softly and he slotted his fingers against yours, allowing you to pull him towards the next room. 

**–**

You uploaded Ashton’s picture to your Instagram later that night, a text message arriving almost immediately.

> _\- Pretty good photographer you’ve found yourself there, doll_

You smiled as you read the message before typing out a reply.

> **\- I know, I can’t wait to see what photos they take at the Colosseum tomorrow**

This trip _definitely_ wasn’t going to be so bad.

**Author's Note:**

> the gallery in question is galleria borghese in rome, and the statue in question is apollo and daphne by gian lorenzo bernini. please look them up, they're wonderful!
> 
> for more insight, read on my tumblr - my username is the same as on here!


End file.
